Due to increased awareness on how we can protect our environment, we should now pay more attention to finding ways of managing environmental wastes. Plastic bags lead the charts when it comes to environmental waste statistics. The plastic bags take a greater percentage of the waste that end up making our environment not safe for us today. For this reason, there is an increasing need to explore ways in which we can manage these plastic bags to reduce their environmental pollution.
Based on their material of production, there are two types of plastic bags, namely the biodegradable and the non biodegradable plastic bags. From research, not all these two types of plastic bags cause harm to our environment. Non biodegradable plastic bags are considered to bring more harm to our environment as compared to the biodegradable plastic bags. This is caused by its level of degradation which is also a great concern in the environmental protection from plastic bags. The term degradation is used to refer to the decomposition of these materials into organic or inorganic compounds that are less harmful to our environment.
The biodegradable plastic bags takes a much lesser time to decomposed when exposed as waste. This makes them less harmful to our environment and therefore more preferred for use when protecting the natural environment. However, non biodegradable plastic bags takes a much longer time to decompose when exposed as waste. This might take several years of sometimes more than 100 years resulting to some negative impacts to the environment. You should as well note that more accumulation of these plastic bags is what determines their level of pollution to the natural environment. For instance, if these non biodegradable plastic bags fail to decompose quickly, they will accumulate to large numbers. This is accelerated by the increased production and use of these plastic bags in our day to day lives.
When they increase in large numbers, they are easily carried away by rain water into the nearby water bodies causing deaths of aquatic animals. They also leach into the natural soil and cause damage to our beautiful landscapes. This creates a high need to reduce the plastic bags and protect our environment. Because the use of plastic bags is still high, getting rid of them completely and quickly may not be applicable. This creates room for many suggestions of the possible ways to manage these plastic bags. As an effort to reduce their numbers, there has been awareness to reduce the usage of these plastic bags as much as possible in our day to day lives.
And if there exists a circumstance where you must use it, there is increased awareness for people to use the biodegradable plastic bags. The local governments and the ministries dealing with environmental conservation are embracing the use of biodegradable plastic bags.
Why is the use of biodegradable plastic bags the best in environmental protection?
What is the secret behind biodegradable plastic bags? These bags tend to take a shorter time to decompose when exposed as waste to the natural environment. This makes them a better choice compared to non-biodegradable plastic bags, which may take more than 100 years to decompose. For this reason, you can always opt for biodegradable plastic bags because they are the best in environmental protection. The rate of decomposition of these two types of plastic bags is of great concern. How fast a plastic bag will decompose when exposed to waste is determined by the material used to make the bag. For instance, biodegradable plastic bags are made by easily decomposed materials. These materials include plants and other starch materials. This makes them the best in decomposition hence reducing their environmental impact. On the other hand, non biodegradable plastic bags are made of traditional materials such as polyurethane material that takes a longer time to decompose. This makes non biodegradable plastic bags a long lasting environmental waste that has more negative impacts.
What are the main materials used to make the Biodegradable plastic bags?
The materials used in the production of the biodegradable plastic bags are always mainly polymers. These polymers are biodegradable which makes them quickly decompose when exposed to the natural environment as waste. They can also be easily recycled in the environment for many other uses. There are major common examples of biodegradable materials commonly used which include the following;
Cellulose based plastics
In this type of biodegradable plastic bag, the cellulose material is used as the main raw material for the manufacture of the bag. The cellulose materials are always derived from plant fibers and have some excellent biodegradable properties in them. This makes them a better alternative material for making non biodegradable plastic bags for use in our day to day lives. However, its rate of decomposition is always slower than other biodegradable plastic bags made from other materials.
These and much more are the common examples of materials used to make the biodegradable plastic bags. The type of these well decomposing bags therefore, is determined by the material used to make them. The fact that these materials are easily decomposed, they are the best choice of plastic bags that everyone is encouraged to use in their day to day lives. In addition, you can use these bags especially for places already experiencing the negative impacts of the plastic bags to their environment. The use of these bags will lower their negative influence on the natural environment.
You might sometimes experience challenges in differentiating these bags especially when making your purchase. However, from experience, you will realize that the polyethene material used to make the non biodegradable bags have properties that make them unique. For instance, they are not readily affected by water, humidity or temperature and known to be noisy when handling. Some companies also end up naming their products as biodegradable which makes it easy for you to make your choice of plastic bag.
However, permanently shifting to the use of the biodegradable plastic bags have always not been successful. This is due to the negative challenges consumers experience while using the biodegradable plastic bags. For instance, these type of plastic bags have been known to be easily damaged by water. This is due to their high level of decomposition hence making their use challenging in places with high rainfall and humidity. In addition, they are not easily applicable while carrying substances that don't require coming into contact with water as they are easily penetrated by water. For instance, they cannot be used to carry baking powder, water, milk, oil or even cereals. However, for non biodegradable plastic bags, they are known to be waterproof and hence can be used to carry any substance.
Therefore, the effort to reduce the negative impact caused by these plastic bags remains a heavy task for every consumer of these bags. To make this awareness yield fruits to your local environment, you will need to keenly go through the guidelines placed towards environmental conservation and management. This includes minimizing the use of these plastic bags as much as possible. If you must use them, try using the biodegradable plastic bags as much as possible. In the case where you find yourself using the non biodegradable plastic bags, learn to recycle the bags effectively. Remember, protection of our environment begins with you, especially the choice you make when handling these plastic bags.
It is important to join hands with other interested parties in working together to conserve our natural environment and maintain it clean. Hfbrolly is a eco umbrella manufacturer from a biodegradable material used to provide a range of environmentally friendly places. If your brand want to promote eco friendly corporate gifts, pls contact: info@hfbrolly.com
